News and views about the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and other legislation, schemes and policies impacting the Right to Education of India's Children.

Villagers convert a primary school building set up under SSA into a temple

What did the residents of Govind Tanda in the Humnabad
taluk do when a government primary school closed down due lack of
students? They converted the unused building, built under the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan in 2010, into a temple and mutt.

The
hamlet has had a school for more than two decades. But the old building
was crumbling and the school management committee made a request for a
new structure. The new building was completed in two years and the
school was expected to shift there. But the school was closed down after
the number of children dropped to less than 10. “We never had a chance
to move into the new building,” an Education Department official said.

Some
residents quickly moved in to set up the Shiva Mahadev Mandir and Sri
Parameshwar Maharaj Samsthan Math in the new building.

Some
Govind Tanda residents insisted that the building was not a school.
“This is where Basamma, a spiritual Guru from Mysore, stayed for decades
and died,” said Lakshmi Bai. “We have expanded the building and added
new rooms over the years.”

Not all villagers think
alike. “We need a school in the village. If the residents feel the need
for a temple, they should build it at a different place,” Basavaraj Naik
said.

Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, Zilla Panchayat Chief
Executive Officer, issued notice on Thursday to the encroachers asking
them to provide documents to prove their claim. He said he would order
an inquiry. “If we find that the building was constructed by the
Education Department, we will take possession of it. We will also act
against those involved in the encroachment of public property.”